I’ve bought a few Fibre Mood pattern magazines now, and I’m intrigued by their designs. The only pattern I’ve made so far is a sweatshirt, which is hardly mind-blowing! But, in the September issue from 2021, there was a pair of trousers that caught my eye with its style lines, the Betty Pants. I wanted to make it, that was for sure, but I wasn’t sure of how the drafting would suit me. I’m so used to my trusty Burda patterns! I thought this would be the perfect addition to my Sew Fancy Pants 2023 entry, and it was finished in the nick of time!
Anyway, going by the measurements, I traced the 18, 20 & 22, and toiled the pattern with the 22, thinking I could easily take it in where necessary! I thought I’d try the “top down, centre out” method this time, so only made one leg. As usual, no pockets or extra details, this is just about fit. First off – too wide in the waist, go down a size, second, too baggy in the leg, go down one or two sizes! And the crotch seemed low, but, looking at the examples online, some had this and others didn’t… I left it in place because this is a pattern that’s supposed to be worn on the natural waist, so when sitting, you’ll need space! The length looked fine, no need for shortening.
So I went ahead and made the pants in a rather nice putty coloured needlecord from Croft Mill Fabrics, cutting up another bit of Mr W’s old cotton shirts for the pocket bags. The fabric is lovely, you could use it for a shirt, but it’s not as lightweight as you’d usually use for shirts. It’s soft and has a slight stretch to it, and I love the colour. The pockets were interesting, but look good when done, but – they’re too small!!! I definitely need a deeper pocket than these have – but not as deep as the Worker Trousers! Fibre Mood don’t do written instructions in the magazine, it’s all diagrams – the complete opposite of Burda! But it all went together swimmingly and soon I had a new pair of trousers.
On wearing these pants, I have some alterations to do for the next time – and I think they’re only things I’d normally notice after wearing for a little while. The crotch is low, but only in the back… I find the back dips, so I’ll shorten that by 2cm in the centre, taking out a wedge so the side seam isn’t affected. Pockets! The Worker Trousers had ridiculously deep pockets, these are too short! I’ll add 3-5cm to the depth to they’re easier to shove my hands and key into! Then the legs – when walking and wearing these pants normally, I definitely feel that they’re too short. The photos in the magazine show the pants rolled up, but the models are rather tall (taller than me at any rate), so I don’t know where they get the extra length to roll up!! So I’ll lengthen the leg by 2-3cm, that’ll make them more comfortable to wear.
So the end result is a pattern thats 20 in the waist, until about 10-12cm below the joining seam, where it quickly moves to the 18, and I used the 18 for the inside leg too. The crotch seams are the 20. I’ll have that wedge taken out of the back and the longer leg for the next time too. I got a message on Instagram from another Burda fan and sewing blogger saying that she’d found the leg length too short, and she’s tall! Is the pattern supposed to be short? If I’m lengthening them, they are short!! I do want to make these again, give them another chance, it’s only fair.
THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS 